BrisVegas: Brisbane

Brisbane was purposefully built away from the coast and either side of the river to originally stop prisoners brought to Australia from escaping. Nowadays the river is home to a species of Bull Shark, one of the most vicious species of shark evolved to breathe in the fresh water river. A river cruise is a nice afternoon activity in Brisbane, just look out for the Bull Sharks as you gaze into the murky brown water.

Brisbane is a beautiful city, it’s got The West End with quirky bars and live music; Southbank swarming with families at the weekend visiting the museums, cultural centre, science exhibition, cinema which costs $7.50 (cheaper than a MacDonald’s,) and manic mums chasing their kids around the lagoon or “human soup” as my Boss refers to it. The lagoon is an artificial beach in the heart of Southbank facing the river, it’s a brilliant idea and is a great way to cool down on a day off in Australia’s capital of the Sunshine State but personally it’s no substitute for an actual beach and this is what Brisbane is lacking.
Southbank also boasts a beautiful market selling a lot of original designs and vintage goods such as jewellery, handbags, handcrafted wood, mirrors and classic ornaments, tres chic and well worth checking out for original handmade souvenirs.

Brisbane is also home to Fortitude Valley, a strip of bars, clubs, restaurants and china-town, it takes around twenty five minutes to walk from the city centre to the Valley but it is worth it for a decent (by Australian standards) meal and a good night out if you’re willing to spend a few extra dollars.

There are a lot of typical backpacker bars in the CBD; The Victory $3 Thursdays, The Exchange $5 Wednesdays, City Backpacker Bars 50% off Sundays and Down Under Bar: something ridiculously cheap every night… Down Under Bar was the bar below my hostel; Base Central.

Mt Cootha is a beautiful high lookout point over Brisbane, it’s quite far from the city so you don’t get the best view but it is a lovely sight on a warm evening gazing into the fairy lights of Brisbane city.